09/12, 9:15am

Plastic Logic 100 resurrects Que for school crowd

More than a year after it dropped the Que, Plastic Logic on Monday showed the results of its Russian cash flow by planning a new e-reader destined for schools. The Plastic Logic 100 has one of the largest e-paper screens yet with a 10.7-inch display that can show textbooks at high quality. Its creator's uniqueness comes into play through the use of a plastic base; by using the more flexible material instead of glass, the screen is resistant to shattering.

01/17, 11:10pm

Company still working on new e-book reader

Plastic Logic has reportedly secured an additional $150 million in equity financing, in a new investment agreement with the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (Rusnano). Combined with $50 million in equity investment from Oak Investment Partners, the funding will help Plastic Logic establish its second factory in Zelenograd, Russia.

11/09, 5:10pm

Plastic Logic, RUSNANO strike a long-term deal

The rumored talks between Plastic Logic and Russia's RUSNANO have proven true, as the two companies have announced a partnership. Under the agreement, the two will produce a factory to build Plastic Logic's next-generation plastic electronic displays, as the promised QUE ProReader e-book reader was stillborn. RUSNANO will make a significant investment in the company as part of a large-scale investment, though specific numbers were omitted.

08/26, 6:25pm

LG flexible e-paper to be real later this year

LG in a recently discovered SEC filing confirmed that it plans to mass produce its flexible e-paper and more before the end of 2010. The company plans to make both its 19-inch grayscale but bendable screens as well as firm, 9.7-inch color displays in a similar timeframe. What devices would get the screens wasn't mentioned.

08/10, 6:05pm

Plastic Logic QUE axed after delays

Plastic Logic today decided to drop its originally planned QUE ProReader altogether. The e-paper firm said it would instead focus on a new generation version of the QUE. The market has "dramatically changed" since the QUE was made public in January and needs a reader that reflects it, chief executive Richard Archuleta explained.

08/09, 4:50pm

Plastic Logic in talks with Russia's Rusnano

Low-cost computer chip and e-reader device screen maker Plastic Logic is in late-stage negotiations on selling a majority stake of its company to Rusnano, the Financial Timesreports. The Russian state-owned nanotechnology would allegedly get control over the UK-based chipmaker. Under the conditions mentioned by the deal, next-generation Plastic Logic chips would have to be produced in Russia.

05/13, 5:05pm

Plastic Logic working on color e-book reader

Despite a delay of its first and only product, the QUE proReader, Plastic Logic has said it plans on beginning mass production of its successor. It would sport a color e-ink display, with manufacturing slated for late in 2011 and a commercial release sometime in 2012. The color panel will be based on Plastic Logic's own technology, developed in its Cambridge laboratory.

04/07, 10:20pm

Pre-order customers receiving notifications

Plastic Logic appears to have narrowed the shipping time-frame for its upcoming QUE proReader e-book reader, which is now expected to ship late in June. A customer who pre-ordered the device early in the year reportedly received an e-mail notification with an updated schedule, according to Engadget. Customers are still presented with an option to opt out of their purchase, as the company initially claimed the devices would be on-track for April

04/07, 3:55pm

Plastic Logic in negotiations for sale of company

Plastic Logic, maker of low-cost computer chips and the Que e-book reader, may be up for sale. Hermann Hauser of Amadeus Capital Partners, which has a stake in Plastic Logic, didn't name any interested companies who are in negotiations regarding the sale of Plastic Logic, but did say he hopes more significant announcements will be made in the fall. The Que proReader, its only product, hasn't yet been released, as it's due out this summer.

03/12, 9:20am

Touchscreen QUE e-reader faces new setback

Plastic Logic chief Richard Archuleta sent notice late Thursday to customers that the QUE proReader has been delayed from mid-April to an unspecified point in the summer. The executive didn't specify the exact reasons behind the delay but claimed it was to "fine-tune the features and enhance the overall product experience." More details are expected to follow within the next month.

02/08, 1:50pm

Amazon job posts hint color Kindle and more

Amazon has hinted at a significant change in the philosophy behind its Kindle readers with job listings at its hardware design group Lab126. One, for a Hardware Display Manager, asks for a veteran recruit with experience in the LCD market and suggests Amazon might move away from e-paper displays. It has normally used companies like E Ink (now owned by PVI) exclusively for its e-book readers.

02/03, 5:40pm

Amazon may have bought Touchco

Amazon has bought small startup to bring touchscreens to the Kindle, a purported insider said today. The bookseller is believed to have bought Touchco to roll it into Lab126, the same division responsible for Amazon's e-book reader. Conditions for the deal weren't mentioned to the NYT in the leak, and neither of the involved partners has agreed to comment.

01/21, 6:20pm

Kindle books could soon reach other devices

Amazon in a support document for publishers using its Digital Text Platform has revealed that it will let those selling Kindle books shed the copy protection. Where it had previously been difficult to remove, the digital rights management (DRM) can now be left off of a book or periodical simply by marking a checkbox. To date, all known Kindle books to date use DRM.

01/08, 1:40am

QUE centers on its massive e-paper screen

Plastic Logic as expected used CES to launch the QUE proReader as its own entry into e-book readers. The device promises a very large 8.5- by 11-inch display, 3G, Wi-Fi and software that doesn't normally find its way into e-book devices. We had the opportunity to try the QUE this evening and have our own early opinion.

12/09, 12:50pm

COOL-ER next gen e-book device will go online

Relative e-book newcomer Interead today said its next-generation COOL-ER reader would come with AT&T-supplied 3G in the US. The company hasn't provided full features but says that models will also come equipped with Wi-Fi; whether or not both will be found in the same model isn't evident. At least the 3G models should be available sometime in mid-2010.

10/27, 11:40am

Plastic Logic QUE coming to Barnes & Noble stores

Plastic Logic and Barnes & Noble announced a partnership on Tuesday that will see Plastic Logic's QUE proReader e-book reader sold at the latter's stores and on its website. As part of the deal, the QUE proReader will be displayed near Barnes & Noble's own nook e-book reader, on its own free-standing display. Compared to the nook, the QUE is more business-oriented.

10/19, 8:15pm

Barnes reader named Nook

Barnes and Noble's rumored dual-screen e-book reader gained credibility Monday night with the leak of a paper ad in advance (subscription required). A full-page placement due for the New York Times' Book Review next Sunday labels the reader as the Nook and says it will ship for $259, reaching the same price as the US Kindle. It also makes a direct reference to the previously leaked e-book lending feature, which would let users temporarily give rights to a book to someone else.

10/19, 10:00am

QUE proReader to have thin touchscreen

Plastic Logic today took the wraps off of its long in development e-book reader. Now known as the QUE proReader, the e-ink device is under a third of an inch thick but has a full 8.5-by-11-inch display that can show many documents at their full size. It also has a unique plastic touchscreen that the company claims is shatterproof and uses both Wi-Fi as well as AT&T-based 3G for downloading content from Barnes & Noble.

10/14, 9:35am

Barnes e-reader may have dual displays

Barnes & Noble's imminent e-book reader may make a second, multi-touch display its central feature, a leak shows today. Renderings, photos and details obtained today by Gizmodo show the device having both a grayscale e-paper display, like most readers, but also a small, full color, multi-touch LCD. The interface would not only give a responsive, adaptable keyboard but would be used to browse and pick books.

10/13, 3:50pm

Barnes' first e-book reader likely to show

Barnes and Noble this afternoon sent invitations to the press for its frequently rumored October 20th press event. The bookseller is short on details but exactly mirrors leaks in describing it as a "major event in our company's history." Most expect the event to involve Barnes & Noble launching a self-branded e-book reader that would be designed by Plastic Logic.

10/13, 3:15pm

Plastic Logic says bookstore rep wrong

Plastic Logic today denied reports that it would have a color e-book reader ready by spring. The company tells PCPro that the Barnes & Noble contact was "misinformed" and further insists he wasn't speaking in an official capacity for the American book retailer. A color reader is still in development but isn't due to ship this year, a spokesperson says.

10/09, 8:00am

Barnes & Noble may be 1st with color e-books

Barnes & Noble spokesman Daniel Joresson at CTIA appears to have confirmed a timeframe in a video (available below) for what's likely the first color e-book reader available in the US. The Plastic Logic device would be smaller than the 8.5x11-inch large model proposed early on and would have just a paperback-sized display. However, it would have its own direct access to Barnes & Noble's bookstore and would be ready by spring 2010, or considerably earlier than an Amazon Kindle with color or most other rivals.

10/08, 5:35pm

Barnes & Noble reader would have virtual keys

(Updated with Android rumor) Barnes & Noble is developing its own high-end e-book reader to help boost its online store, a source close to its plans purportedly revealed this afternoon. Most features are unknown, but it would have a touchscreen and use an iPhone-like on-screen keyboard for searches and similar tasks. A wireless link is also seen by the Wall Street Journal as a key ingredient, though whether this would involve 3G or simply Wi-Fi isn't immediately evident.

08/24, 11:55am

iRex Teams w Barnes Noble

iRex today more officially stepped into the US market for e-book readers by cementing a deal for the Barnes & Noble online bookstore. The company now plans to integrate the digital book service both with its own readers as well as for "other devices." It's not specified which readers would be involved or when the deal will take effect.

07/22, 10:15am

AT&T, Plastic Logic tie-up

Plastic Logic announced on Wednesday that it will partner with wireless provider AT&T to deliver content over 3G for its e-book reader. The news comes just after Plastic Logic's alliance with bookstore Barnes & Noble. The feature will give readers relatively wide-area wireless options to download newspapers, magazines and other periodicals in addition to books.

07/20, 5:05pm

B and N e-book Store

Barnes and Noble on Monday night formally launched its expected e-book store, a new cross-platform alternative to its retail shops. The store carries about 700,000 titles, including a large number of public domain books made available from Google. Universal access is a focus and lets both Mac and Windows PC owners read titles through an updated version of Fictionwise's eReader app. iPhone and iPod touch owners can use the free B&N eReader app (App Store) to read titles on the road; BlackBerry owners also have a companion app.

07/09, 4:55pm

Amazon may up e-book price

Amazon's price cut of its Kindle 2 e-book reader have prompted some in the publishing industry to worry that the online retailer, which is far and away the leading provider of e-books, may put pressure on them to drop the prices for electronic versions of their books for the device, according to a Bloombergreport. Amazon reportedly pays between $12 and $13 to publishers for Kindle editions of books that are on the New York Times bestseller list and sells them for about $10 to customers. Many publishing houses are concerned the giant online vendor will put price pressure on them in order to bump its own profit margins.

09/08, 8:30am

Plastic Logic e-book

Plastic Logic this morning launched an e-book reader it hopes will tackle the Amazon Kindle and other high-profile readers. The device is one of the few to have a letter-sized, 8.5- by 11-inch display but uses the company's unique plastic screen backing to generate a much thinner and sturdier design than most readers, which need a toughened shell to protect a glass back. This produces a device with the shape of a magazine or small newspaper but the changeability of an e-ink device.